Iranian military leader threatens preemptive attack after Trump comments

The head of Iran's military threatened preemptive action over "rhetoric" targeting the country as the regime faces massive protests. Iran's Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami was likely responding to President Donald Trump's warning that America would act if violence was used against protesters. Trump recently made it clear that the U.S. would step in if it saw that Iran was mistreating or killing protesters. The president wrote on Truth Social, "If Iran shoots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go." Trump's warning took on a new meaning for Iran following the historic U.S. mission in Venezuela that led to the capture and extradition of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Iran PROTESTERS EMBOLDENED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S PERSIAN MESSAGING AFTER OBAMA-BIDEN INACTION, ACTIVISTS SAY Hatami, who was speaking to military academy students, said, "The Islamic Republic considers the intensification of such rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not leave its continuation without a response," according to The Associated Press, which cited the state-run IRNA news agency. He added, "I can say with confidence that today the readiness of Iran’s armed forces is far greater than before the war. If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more decisive response, and we will cut off the hand of any aggressor." Economic woes have led to an uprising among the Iranian people, and international backlash over the treatment of demonstrators has left regime officials feeling threatened, particularly by the U.S. and Israel . Iran ON THE BRINK AS PROTESTERS MOVE TO TAKE TWO CITIES, APPEAL TO TRUMP In an effort to quell the unrest, Iran's government began paying the equivalent of $7 a month to subsidize rising food costs for dinner-table staples, such as rice, meat and pasta. Iranian state TV reported that the subsidy will go to more than 71 million people across the country, according to the AP. The outlet noted that the new subsidy is more than double the 4.5 million rial the people had previously received. Iranian shopkeepers have warned that prices for items like basic cooking oil could triple under pressure from the collapse of the country's currency, the AP reported. Iranian media has also reportedly covered the rise in prices of basic goods, including cooking oil, poultry and cheese. Iran’s vice president in charge of executive affairs, Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, told reporters that the country was in a "full-fledged economic war," the AP reported. He called for "economic surgery" to get rid of rentier policies and corruption within Iran , the AP added. Protests began late last month and have showed no signs of stopping. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) claimed the cities of Abdanan (Ilam province) and Malekshahi were effectively "taken over" by protesters. The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.